


Time Together Changes Everything

by susiebstuff



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angry Dean Winchester, Crying Jack Kline, Family Bonding, First Haircut, Gen, POV Sam Winchester, Protective Sam Winchester, Sam Winchester is Jack Kline's Parent, Sam takes Jack shopping, The Winchester Family (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/susiebstuff/pseuds/susiebstuff
Summary: Summary: Dean is angry.  Jack is afraid of Dean and of his own powers.  Sam is trying to keep himself and everyone else together.  Someone has to be the adult in the bunker. Who knew trying to raise a Nephilim would be so difficult?
Relationships: Jack Kline & Sam Winchester
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Time Together Changes Everything

With Cas dead and Mary gone, life in the bunker was very uncomfortable. Truth be told, uncomfortable was too small a word to describe the atmosphere. Charged, hostile, despairing. Those were more accurate descriptions. Everyone who remained had been sent reeling. The world had spun off its axis and no one had time to adjust to the new trajectory.   
Dean was mourning his best friend, and his mother, and was caught up in blaming the bunker’s newest resident for his loss. Jack was feeling alone and frightened. Everything was new and terrifying to him, including his own powers. And Sam, Sam was just trying to keep it together.   
He had lost his friend and mother -- and, God, it hurt! But he was convinced that Jack was not a monster and knew that someone had to look after him. So, in one of the greatest ironies of all time, Sam chose to step up and protect the son of Lucifer, which included helping Jack learn how to control his powers and use them for good.  
Training was not going well. Jack had been trying his hardest to please Sam by making a pencil levitate. Sam had been trying his best to be patient and not pressure Jack. He knew Jack was scared. Sam was frustrated though, and felt he was doing everything wrong. He had no real experience with kids. And, even though Sam knew he did the best he could, his own father was not exactly a role model. Sam was worried he would not be an adequate parent for any child, let alone for a Nephilim. Just the thought of it was overwhelming.  
Sam wished he could get Dean on board for some much needed help, but Dean was convinced Jack was evil and would turn on them as soon as he had the opportunity. Dean had gone so far as to tell Jack he would be the one to kill him if he went dark side. Sam understood that his brother’s first response to any strong, uncomfortable emotion was anger. He knew this was part of Dean’s grieving process, but his brooding and glaring at Jack was not helping the situation.   
The day everything changed was the day Jack blew up at Sam and fled to his room. Sam found him sitting in the corner in tears. Sam knew what it was to feel like a disappointment. He was mortified to be the cause of Jack’s tears.   
Sam sat next to Jack on the floor and bumped his shoulder to get the boy’s attention. In the gentlest voice possible, Sam said “I’m sorry for pushing so hard, Jack. I forget that you’re just a kid. I want you to know that whether you get a handle on your powers or not, you are not a disappointment. Your mom believed in you. Cas believed in you. And I believe in you.”   
By this time, Jack had turned so he could look at Sam, his face so open and hopeful that Sam found himself close to tears. “OK,” Jack said.” I’m ready to try again.” “Great!” Sam replied. “But let’s have a little fun first, take a break.”  
Sam wasn’t really sure what would be fun for a Nephilim. Truth be told, he wasn’t certain what would be fun for a child. Sam thought about things he had liked to do as a child. He remembered that most of his favorite things involved fantasy of some kind. He didn’t think he should resort to playing Batman and Robin or soldiers with Jack. He decided to start introducing Jack to the world of Star Wars, figuring that would at least be interesting for him.   
He left Jack in his room with a laptop and Clone Wars. When he checked back a few hours later, he saw that Jack had not moved off his bed and was still working his way through the episodes. Sam asked, ”Hey, how’s it going?” Jack looked up and replied, “Good. I’m enjoying it. I’m not too fond of Anakin, though.” Sam laughed when he heard this. He was taking this as an indication that Jack was not going to go all Darth Vader on the world. At Jack’s questioning look, Sam smiled and said, “I’ll explain it to you another time.” Jack just nodded and went back to his viewing.  
Sam left to make Jack something to eat and ran into Dean in the kitchen. He was still smiling when he said, “So get this. Jack doesn’t like Anakin Skywalker. Dude, that’s a good thing, right?” Dean didn’t really answer but he actually smiled. Sam chose to see this as another good sign. Maybe the ice around Dean was starting to thaw and he would begin to warm up to Jack.   
Jack really seemed to enjoy the animated series so Sam downloaded the movies for him, starting, of course, with the original one featuring Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. While Jack watched, Sam returned to the library to do more research on Nephilim.  
Thinking about Star Wars and his own childhood had triggered some not so great memories, like how much he disliked being left alone to entertain himself when Dean and his father went on hunts. Those memories made him realize he was doing the same thing to Jack. Sam might not know the best way to teach Jack to use his powers, but he could spend time with him and show Jack what it was like to be human.  
From that day on, Sam made a point of spending time with Jack and introducing him to what he called “the human experience.” He listed what he considered essentials and set himself the goal of checking at least one thing off the list every day.   
Sam was aware that Jack was too small to wear any of Dean’s clothes. And his own clothes certainly would not fit him. So clothes shopping moved to the top of the list.  
Sam never paid much attention to clothes but he found that he actually enjoyed helping Jack find things to wear that he would like and that would feel comfortable. One of their most successful shopping excursions netted Jack a new “favorite” hoodie and a pair of sneakers with Velcro, both of which quickly became part of his daily wardrobe.   
Grocery shopping was not quite as successful. Jack discovered he liked candy, sugary cereal, and just about anything sweet. Sam tried to introduce him to all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Jack would try everything but nothing beat nougat and Sam would always catch him trying to sneak sweets into the grocery cart.   
Sam was aware that Jack’s grocery preferences contributed to Dean’s warming up to him. Dean would never take Jack shopping, but whenever Dean went on a supply run, Sam saw that a handful of candy bars and a couple boxes of sugary cereal mysteriously made it into the bunker.   
Dean couldn’t help noticing that Jack looked up to Sam and that Sam looked happier when he was doing things with Jack. One day he commented, “Dude, I’m glad to see you looking like less of a sad sack.” Sam gave Dean the patented eye roll and said, “Yeah, I think things are getting better.” Sam knew better than to push Dean so he just smiled to himself and let it drop.  
Hunting was the family business, so, of course, Sam taught Jack about monsters and the lore. He took Jack out to walk around a cemetery and explained how EMF worked. He let Jack read his hunting journal and some of the notes he kept about monsters he and Dean had encountered.   
Sam stayed away from the topic of Lucifer as much as possible. He knew Jack had questions. Jack finally came out and asked, “Is my father a monster?” Sam answered honestly, ”Yes, Jack, he is. And someday I’ll tell you more about him and why I know he is evil. But Jack, that does not mean you will be evil. You have a choice and I believe you will make the right one.”  
After that, Sam was always very careful to make sure Jack knew he and Dean did not see him as a monster. He believed that Jack trusted that Sam saw him as a real person and not just some “cosmic entity” with potentially useful powers. He knew Jack was still unsure about Dean, especially after Dean’s “cosmic can opener” crack. Sometimes Jack had bad dreams and he would go to find Sam. He would always ask, “Is Dean going to kill me?’ And Sam always replied, “No. I won’t let that happen.”  
Jack’s nightmares became less frequent. One morning he came to Sam and said ”I don’t think Dean plans to kill me anytime soon.” Sam recognized this as real progress and decided to plan a Lord of The Rings movie marathon to celebrate. However, before the marathon could begin, Sam decided Jack needed one more lesson. Sam wanted to show Jack the failsafe weapon to be deployed when trying to get Dean to do anything. Sam left Jack practicing his puppy dog eyes in the mirror and went to find Dean. Sam used his own puppy dog eyes on his brother and Dean agreed to join them in watching the first movie.   
Midway through the movie, Jack asked ,“Aren’t people supposed to have snacks when they’re watching a movie?” and Sam watched Jack unleash his version of the pleading eyes on Dean. Sam smirked as he watched Dean jump up to go to the kitchen, saying “I’m on it. Popcorn and nachos coming right up. Anybody need another drink?” By the time the credits rolled on the last film, all three were devouring a Dean made “hobbit second breakfast” of waffles, bacon, and a veggie omelet for Sam.  
The next day, Jack proudly announced, “I found a case for you.” Dean surprised Sam by inviting Jack to come with them on the hunt. It turned out to be a simple salt-and-burn and didn’t require any use of special powers. Jack showed he was able to listen and followed Sam’s every direction. And Sam knew Jack’s willingness to do the grave digging won him points with Dean.  
Jack’s full acceptance into the Winchester family became apparent to Sam the day after they returned to the bunker. Sam noticed that Dean had begun calling Jack “kid” and he immediately recognized what that meant. Any lingering doubt Sam may have had disappeared when Dean began teasing Jack about his hair.  
Dean said “Hey, kid. You’re getting a little shaggy. Which is ok if you want Wookie hair but…” and then gave Sam a pointed look.   
Jack looked at Sam for guidance, unsure of how to respond. Sam just laughed and directed a “jerk” at Dean.   
Sam said, “Jack, it’s your hair and you decide how you want it to look.”   
After giving it some thought, Jack said, “I guess I don’t want to look like a Wookie. Can I get a haircut?”   
Dean volunteered to cut Jack’s hair but Sam just chuckled and shook his head. Sam decided he would make an appointment with the girl who cut his own hair and take Jack into town for his haircut.   
The next day, Sam and Jack drove into town. Sandra, Sam’s usual stylist, greeted them with a smile and innocently asked Sam, “And who is this?” referring to Jack.   
Giving one of his awkward waves, Jack shyly said, “I’m Jack.”   
Sam was taken aback because he hadn’t thoroughly thought this thing through. Of course, Sandra knew Sam and would be curious about Jack. By that time, Jack was nervously staring at the floor. And Sam was hit by the realization that that this was Jack’s first haircut and it was a big deal for him.   
Not giving himself time to think, Sam blurted out, “He’s my son.” When he saw the biggest smile he had ever seen on Jack’s face, he knew it was the right thing to say. More than that, he knew it was the truth.   
He felt himself smiling just as big when Jack answered, “Yes, that’s my Dad.”   
He might not have been prepared to be a parent. But at that moment, if anyone had asked Sam Winchester if he was happy to be a father, his answer would be a resounding “Yes!”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Thanks for the Memories challenge from @idreamofplaid on Tumblr. The challenge was to write something inspired by a Supernatural episode. Go to her blog if you want to check out all the submissions.


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